


Waltz

by LueurdeLaube



Series: Gradient [2]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Slow Dancing, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 19:09:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13441365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LueurdeLaube/pseuds/LueurdeLaube
Summary: The Emperor only has eyes for one woman.





	Waltz

His breath was robbed from his lungs when she sauntered in wearing a gown of embroidered lilac tulle. She was resplendent, despite her shaky steps. The dainty golden belt cinched around her waist glinted when it caught the light of the numerous chandeliers dangling above. Her pretty half-mask styled in the same leafy curlicue design as her belt  did nothing to hide the fine shape of her cheekbones or the intensity of her hazel gaze.

 

All eyes were drawn to her, and the Emperor had to clench his fists before he throttled the gaping mass of people around him. She was on her own, fitting in too well among the nobles of Naboo. What was she doing here? Apprehensive, yet caught in her spell, Ben rose from his seat and staggered a little when the attention shifted to him. It would never stop making him uneasy; memories from when he had held onto his mother’s skirts, trying to hide behind her legs as people cooed over him and patted his messy mop of dark hair, flooded his mind. But he had known their thoughts. They were smiling in his face, but thought him odd looking, not at all pretty like his mother or roguishly charming like his father. Even back then, he had never been able to measure up to the expectations of others. 

 

He was the Emperor now. He had never felt less powerful than he did as he stood in front of Rey. She performed a clumsy curtsy that only endeared her even more to the people around her. He was a king without his queen. His heart clenched, but he still held out his hand, unable to resist the last Jedi’s gravity. 

 

There was a collective gasp as Rey placed her small hand into his. It was the first dance of this very long night. 

 

His heart hammered in his chest as he took a first step forward. His movements may have been unpractised, but they came to him automatically. He held her as close as he could in her big gown, one hand gingerly on her waist, the other holding her hand, guiding her stiffly. The soft melody of the Alderaanian waltz became nothing more than background noise; the chatter of the people around them ceased to exist. All that was left was just the two of them, Ben and Rey. 

 

Her lips were painted the loveliest shade of rose; they were slightly parted, looking impossibly soft. He should have kissed her back in the throne room, high on the energy of their victory before he opened his stupid mouth and ruined everything. 

 

_ What are you doing here? _ he wanted to ask, but his tongue was too thick for his mouth, the words stuck in his throat. He gulped. Ben’s nerve endings sparked with heat at the warmth of her, at the generous cleavage that her dress’ corset revealed. He had never seen her in something this opulent, and he pictured her in shades of deep crimson, red and black lace sitting on a throne of obsidian right by his side. 

 

His hold on her tightened. 

 

_ Why, why did you refuse me? _

 

Her eyes narrowed, gleaming with indignation. The Force around them pulsed. The heady rhythm of their dance slowed down, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her. But when the music came to a stop, Rey took a step back from him. His heart fell, his throat tight with pain. 

 

_ Don’t go, please. _

 

_ Please. _

 

She performed a curtsy, more fluidly this time, before she turned on her heel and walked away. 

 

The crowd parted for her like the queen she was supposed to be, but the sight of her lovely, bare shoulders did nothing to appease him. Only when he felt a feathery light brush of her energy against him did he will his leaden legs to move. His steps were hasty, his short, flat breaths nothing to do with the waltz.

 

Whispers, snide and awed and shocked, followed him as he unabashedly pursued the beautiful woman that had enraptured their soulless emperor so. Surely it would be talked about for months. Who was the girl? Where did she come from?

 

Ben couldn’t care less. The only thing that mattered in this moment was that he couldn’t lose her again. Maybe this time he could properly persuade her, and she would be crowned in due time. He would give her everything she wanted, jewels, food and dresses. 

 

Her skirts flared behind her as she hastened her gait, the heels of her shoes smacking against the ivory marble. The portraits of kings and queens past watched them as Ben and Rey sprinted past them. He was vaguely aware that they were moving towards the east wing of the palace, and for all he knew, she was leading him into a trap. He was transfixed, too elated to be seeing her again in the flesh to stop for a second to consider what a fool he was acting.

 

When Rey finally came to a halt, it was in front of an unassuming door that led to a study. Shelves lined the left wall, and an ornate desk sat in the middle of the room. Other than that, nothing that stood out. She waved a small hand, and the lights flickered to life, bathing the place in a soft glow. The door behind him closed without any incentive of his own.

 

“What is the meaning of this?” he asked thickly, squaring his shoulders. 

 

She bit her lip, eyes flickering up and down his tall frame. They came to rest upon the dark red brocade he was wearing. 

 

“I missed you,” she said softly. 

 

His breath hitched in his throat.“Don’t lie to me.” He clenched his fists, bracing himself against her sweet poison. 

 

“I’m not lying, Ben,” she said, walking backwards until she was blocked by the desk. She seemed unperturbed, and the Force around her buzzed calmly. She placed her hands on top of the glossy surface of the table, seeking out his eyes. He was unable to look away. She was beautiful.

 

Mesmerised, he stepped out of the safety of the shadows and took her into his arms. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathed in her sweet, sweet scent, and gave a shuddery sigh. 

 

“You look lovely,” he said, instead of the myriad of other things he wanted to say first, should be saying first. But her light, tinkling laughter was reward on its own, and he found himself smiling just the slightest bit. 

 

“Kiss me, Ben.”

 

He sucked in a harsh breath, his mind blanking for a brief moment before he cupped her face in his large hands and tilted it up.

 

If someone struck him down now, he would die a happy man. Their lips moved slowly, tenderly, carefully, because both of them were new to this. The calm current around them shifted, frothing with passion and heat as their movements grew more and more desperate. Her tongue darted out to taste him, and he was only too happy to oblige. Ben groaned, bucking his hips against hers before lifting her up to posit her on top of the desk. 

 

She robbed him of the little composure he had being laid out like this, her chest heaving, her eyes glossy with want. He sampled the curve of her throat, the shape of her shoulders, and the delicate swell of her breasts. Fascinated by her soft little gasps, he cupped them and watched her arch her back against his touch. 

 

“I can’t believe you’re letting me touch you,” he whispered, tracing patterns on her chest, fondling and squeezing as she let him. He bent down and captured her mouth in a searing kiss, relishing in her moans as he navigated his lips over her jawline and up to the lobe of her ear. He kissed up  the shell of it before moving back down to give her lovely neck his attention. 

 

Ben could drown in her. He wanted her so much, and here she was, so willing and open. 

 

Rey parted her legs and hiked up the tulle of her skirts around her hips, revealing the creamy expanse of her long legs. 

 

His throat ran dry, and he let out a strangled yelp when he caught a glimpse of her uncovered crotch. His blood was roaring in his ears and pulsing hot and heavy through his veins as his covered erection brushed against her. 

 

She whimpered, her eyes growing wide behind the ridiculous half-mask. 

 

Growling, he made a move to detach it from her face, but a hand to his wrist stopped him. 

 

“I want to keep it on,” she said, leaving no room for argument. 

 

He exhaled through his nose, giving a curt nod as she went to undo the buttons of his trousers. Her clever fingers brushed against his erection beneath his underwear, drawing  a pitiful whimper from between his lips.

 

“Rey,  _ Rey _ , let me take you to my room. To my bed.”

 

She shook her head, soft curls falling over her eyes. “I don’t want to wait any longer, Ben.”

 

A hot shiver ran down his spine, and the heat bathed his face in an all-consuming blush. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. He wanted their first time to be in the sanctity of their own room, not in a random room between dusty old scrolls of flimsi and the smell of synthwood. He wanted her on silken sheets and fully naked, wanted to take his time and give her the time to explore him in return. He wanted to make love to her, and she wanted him to fuck her, masked and fully dressed. The fire of his desire simmered down to faint embers, the haze in his brain clearing a little. 

 

He heaved her up to sit on the table and kissed her with a hand buried in her soft hair. When he drew away from her, he nudged the tip of her nose with his. “No, not like this,” he said, voice low. “When we have sex, you will be my Empress. And your little friends won’t be around communing with the Queen of Naboo.”

 

“What are you talking about?” she asked evenly, but the spike within her signature gave her away. 

 

“An odd Jedi you are, Rey. Trying to distract me with your wiles, trying to seduce me.” He detached his hands from her beautiful body as anger flooded his veins. She was a fickle little thing. Survivor and barterer that she was, why wouldn’t she take advantage of his weakness for her?

 

“Or you can come with me, leave this all behind, and we can be together,” Rey said, carding her fingers through his hair. Her eyes were earnest, her touch warm and soft. He could almost believe that she truly wanted him. 

 

Ben took another step back and writhed back into his trousers. 

  
“You have twenty minutes to gather your friends before I will send my knights after them.” With that, he exited the study, letting his anger carry his steps even as his heart threatened to shatter out of his chest cavity. 

**Author's Note:**

> [Rey's dress](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2014-couture/zuhair-murad/slideshow/collection#46)
> 
> tell me what you think :D


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